Search This Blog

Pages

A Star is Born Movie Review

By Cher Cabula-Mendoza - Tuesday, October 09, 2018

I was on vacation in the US for more than two months and I had been away from the blogging scene here in the Philippines for quite a while. My first movie premiere when I got back was last week and it was for A Star is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Yes, she's also an actress now and another fun fact is that Bradley Cooper also directed this movie. What I didn't know was that this movie was a remake of a remake. So not having seen any of the previous movies before, I had no expectations when I came out to see the film. Maybe it was also why for the first few minutes of the movie, I was totally blown away that Bradley Cooper can sing! My husband on the other hand, thought that this was Lady Gaga's story. Aside from the subtle hint in the movie title, what's it about really?

Rock and BalladsBradley Cooper plays the character of Jackson Maine, a country rocker currently enjoying the highlight of his career and had been touring the country with sold-out concerts while at the same time battling alcoholism and drug use. He first heard Ally (Lady Gaga) sing in a drag bar and this was where he discovered her talent.

In an industry where she was told repeatedly that she was not pretty enough despite her talent, Jackson helped her get her music out by making her sing in one of his concerts. A talent scout signed her up and she began to gain fame on her own.

The two eventually fall in-love and while their whirlwind romance is challenged by both their dreams of progressing their own individual careers, eventually differences and bad habits made things fall apart.

Their Stars Shine Bright
Like I mentioned above, Bradley Cooper can sing. Oh yes, that was his voice heard in the movie. He really played the part. This guy has really outgrown his Alias days when he was playing the dorky Will. For the entire duration of the film, it's amazing how he brought the character of Jackson Maine to life. He easily made the viewers love Jack for being the romantic crooner that he is and hated him when he was on a downward spiral due to his own jealousy and vices.

Lady Gaga was also good. While pop stars who played a similar role before her suffered major flops, I think Lady Gaga pulled this off. Although she was co-starring with a seasoned actor, she held her own. While it wasn't a surprise that she would be belting out really great songs in the movie, it was still surreal to hear her singing voice like that. I think there was even one point that I got goose bumps.

You might have heard this story before, a famous rockstar falls in-love with a struggling singer and helps her gain stardom, yep that's the very same plot for A Star is Born. It's not entirely original but it's actually the on-screen chemistry between the two stars that made this work. You might actually find yourself rooting for the couple while they struggled to keep it together midway through the film.

Well Worth It
If you haven't checked it out already, the movie soundtrack is already on Spotify. I loved the songs in the film. That was the missing piece that completed a great movie formula. A tried and tested storyline, two loved stars and a kick-ass soundtrack, all of them made this movie so much worth the hype.

You will notice similarities in Lady Gaga's career in some parts of the film and how she emphasized how her looks didn't fit the conventional stardom mold but while doing that, you'll actually notice that she is beautiful (imperfections and all) which was a great message from the film. Another good message was how addiction was a sickness and no one is exempt from it, even if you had money, friends and fame. It sends out this powerful message about how difficult it is for all that parties involved and this glimpse of what happens in real life was an eye-opener.

In all, I loved the movie. Please do take the time to see it. A Star is Born will open in theaters tomorrow, October 10th and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, A Warner Entertainment Company.

Search This Blog

Worth a Look!

Recent Comments

Keep this blogger blogging

Any amount that you can spare will go a long way. Shoot me some help here.

Disclosure

The posts on this blog are purely authored by me and are based on personal opinions and insights. Some posts however are compensated in some way. Rest assured, my reviews on a certain product or opinions on services and websites will always be from an honest viewpoint. Of course, any product claim, statistic or quote should be verified. Some posts might also represent conflicts of interest although this content may not always be identified.

About the Blog Author

Cher is a practicing Filipino Interior Designer with a passion to discover and learn new things. Follow her on Twitter for more updates and please like her Facebook Page too, you'll find something interesting, inspiring and fun posts there daily. If you want to check out her art, head on over to Cher's Creative Space.

What this blog is about

Cher Cabula's Mindbox is a blog that gives you the latest in the world of movies, honest food reviews, technological insights and what's new and upcoming in lifestyle news.